Can I hold your hand?
by wherecanibuyaphone
Summary: "Haru-chan," he starts, urging the other boy to turn around by tugging at his clothes. Haruka looks at him curiously, almost expecting him to suggest that they return to their parents. "Can I hold your hand?" [disgusting childhood!makoharu halloween fluff]


**rating:** rated h for happy halloween!

**disclaimer:** i don't own shit

**a/n:** posted on my tumblr some time ago... thought that now's the time to post it here as well.

* * *

><p><strong>Can I hold your hand?<strong>

* * *

><p>Haruka is unfazed when Makoto tells him that soon there is going to be a fair in town, but he closes his book and waits for his friend to continue talking anyway. Makoto explains that it's a small one - with games and something like a haunted house. The Tachibanas are going, and apparently the Nanases are invited.<p>

Haruka contemplates for a moment. "Candy?"

His friend tilts his head, thinking. "Well… it's a fair, so it would be weird if there was no candy, right?"

Haruka nods, approving, and says that he's going to tell his parents about it.

Makoto brightens.

/

Haruka watches with faint interest as Makoto flops down beside him the next day, opening a magazine in front of them. He tells Haruka it's costumes and to choose one, "Mom will make them for us."

Makoto makes it a serious procedure by studying each and every one of the costumes extensively, his breath hitching every time he sees fake blood, chainsaws or too-realistic looking monsters. Haruka doesn't give the selecting too much thought, pointing to the first black-cloaked costume he spots. In the end, the brunet goes for a mix between cute and appropriate, choosing a pumpkin-like onesie in green and orange. Haruka thinks it fits him but doesn't say it out loud. Instead, he asks Makoto if his mom is good at making costumes, to which his friend responds with a proud nod. "She really loves sewing."

/

Two weeks later they stand in the middle of the fair between their parents; Makoto holding his mother's hand as he looks around a little dazed, Haruka standing next to his own mother, lazily observing the crowd.

The adults decide that it is a good idea to visit the haunted house first - before the crowd gets bigger and too many kids stand in line for it.

That this is actually anything but a good idea becomes relatively clear to Haruka when they stand in front of the house where he feels the slightly smaller boy duck behind him, tugging at his cloak. Makoto's obviously nervous although they haven't even entered the building yet. Haruka sighs and watches as a girl and a boy walk through the entrance and get swallowed by the dark.

The house itself is dark in the dim light of the late evening, but that is mainly so because it's wearing its own costume of black tarp. Haruka can see white spots of the actual front showing through here and there. The sign hanging above the door says "Haunted House" in oddly colored letters, making it look more childish than intimidating and scary. Even the disguised man next to the door doesn't look as frightening. Haruka assumes that this event is exclusively for kids.

They get in line, now so close that they can hear sounds from inside the building. Makoto winces as a scream gets through to them, but he doesn't say anything until there is only a pair of two kids before them in the line.

"Haru-chan," he starts, urging the other boy to turn around by tugging at his clothes. Haruka looks at him curiously, almost expecting him to suggest that they return to their parents. "Can I hold your hand?"

Haruka is only mildly surprised. He turns back around to watch as the pair in front of them disappears into the house and he knows he has to decide quickly. He doesn't see anything particularly wrong with it, though, so his arm emerges from under his cloak and he holds his hand out to the brunet a moment later.

/

The experience is nowhere near as scary as the funny man at the entrance had advertised when they passed him by ("Be cautious! Don't let the monsters get you!"). It's dark though; so dark that Haruka has to solely rely on his sense of hearing and touch. Makoto follows behind him and Haruka thinks it's best if he leads, so he takes it upon himself to let his free hand grope for the way along the wall. There are sudden blows of wind in his face as he walks forward, foreign hands and objects brush his body, he even runs into fake spider webs a few times. Noises like clattering bones, hissing spiders and ominous footsteps come from every direction, overwhelming and confusing. He startles one or two times, but not because he's scared, rather because he's surprised. He knows it's meant to be scary, knows it's _made_ to be scary, but the artificialness of it all is exactly what tempers the queasy feeling in his stomach.

Makoto, however, doesn't handle all too well. He tugs hard at Haruka's hand and at his cloak every time he startles, both hands busy as he more or less obediently tags along. One time he jumps so hard that he bumps into Haruka and makes him stumble forward. He apologizes frantically - _I'm sorry, Haru-chan, I'm sorry, I'm sorry_ - and Haruka is almost sure that he's crying.

It takes them a mere five minutes until they eventually step outside, into the dim yet blinding lights of the fair. Haruka has to blink several times because the change is so sudden, and when his vision returns to normal he looks around.

The pair that had entered the house before them as two seperate beings had ultimately left the house as one individual - their limbs are so tangled and their sobs and whimpers come so fast that Haruka cannot tell anything or anyone apart. Another boy in front of them bounces towards his parents, apparently excited, but Haruka can see the wet corners of his eyes even from where Makoto and he are standing.

When his attention slowly fades from his surroundings, he becomes painfully aware of his hurting hand. He turns to look at it, frowning at the tight grip that has his hand captured, and shifts his gaze upwards to look at his friend.

Makoto has his face turned down, brows furrowed. He watches as Haruka wriggles his numb hand out of the death grip, almost curiously - as if he doesn't understand what's happening - and lifts his head to meet Haruka's eyes. The brunet manages a small smile when he realizes that he's being looked at expectantly, but his brows stay furrowed, eyes glassy. "It wasn't that bad, after all."

Unfortunately, Haruka knows a lie when it's right in front of him. Fortunately, Haruka isn't one for confrontation. He ignores the statement and slips his other, not-hurting hand gently back into Makoto's. "Let's go ask if we can get candy now."

The diversion works and he can feel Makoto relax around his hand, watches as his eyes turn from glassy to shiny. He smiles a real smile this time, brows upturned as usual. "Mm."


End file.
